


How Many Teens Does It Take To Raise A Baby?

by hufflebecks



Category: Dalton Academy Series
Genre: F/M, Gen, Kid Fic, Will include Sebastian later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:00:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24863464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hufflebecks/pseuds/hufflebecks
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

“How do you know it’s mine?” Derek demanded though his voice betrayed him by shaking, and the girl gave him a blank look before it turned to anger, “Whose else would it be!?”

“I don’t know, someone else’s?” Derek said, refusing to look at the baby in the crib beside the hospital bed.

“Considering I’d only ever slept with you, I think it’s a pretty fucking high chance of being yours.”

Derek scowled at her but he was pale and feeling desperate to either sit down or straight up walk out and leave the mess behind. But this wasn’t the time and even Derek knew it.

“What are you going to do, Ash?” Derek asks, accidentally glancing at the sleeping baby for a moment before his eyes go back to the girl he’d hooked up with a few times last year.

“That’s why you’re here,” Ashley says carefully. She’d kicked everyone out of the room once Derek had finally arrived. “I may have birthed the baby but I’m not keeping her. So I’m signing away my rights.”

“Oh,” Derek said, not really expecting that answer.

“So your choice is to either sign your rights away or you can keep her. I don’t really care.”

Now that made Derek’s breath catch in his throat.

He was being given a choice to either keep or give away a child he’d only learned about an hour ago.

“Derek?” Ashley prompted, sounding tired and impatient.

“Shut up,” Derek said but he didn’t sound angry, just shocked, “You had nine months to think, give me more than a minute. It’s not like I’m choosing a new shirt here.”

Ashley said nothing to that and just switched her look between the baby sleeping and the boy she thought she would date one day. That had lasted only two weeks until he had started hooking up with someone else. She’d found out she was pregnant a few weeks later.

Derek didn’t step any closer but he did look at the baby for more than just a fleeting second. He hadn’t been around babies in years, not since Amanda was born and she was getting close to her tenth birthday. He had no reason to be around babies.

“When do they need an answer by?” Derek asked quietly.

He was now unable to take his eyes _off_ the sleeping child.

“I can’t sign anything until she’s 72 hours old,” Ashley replied.

“When’s that?”

“She was born at 2 am, so do the math.”

Derek glanced at his watch then said, “That was nine hours ago. So I have a few days?”

“I guess,” Ashley seemed to sigh then says, “I’ve already made my mind up, and I won’t be changing it. I don’t…” she hesitated then shrugged, “I don’t feel anything for her.”

Derek looked at her then asked, “Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

* * *

Derek panicked for the next two days. He was glad it was summer break and he didn’t have to deal with school on top of his decision, though it left him more hours in the day to think. And he just couldn’t come to the right decision. He made list after list of pros vs cons, weighed up how _disowned_ he was about to be if he took in the child, _his child._ He also debated how guilty he’d feel if he abandoned her. Would he ever get to see her again? Would she one day hate him?

With just an hour left before he had to make a choice, he found himself standing outside the hospital room. Ashley was getting ready to be discharged, where she’d sign away her rights and walk out without the baby she carried for nine months. The door was open but Derek couldn’t step in yet, his brain still telling him to just walk away. Save himself the trouble.

But Ashley spotted him before he could turn away, and she looked genuinely surprised to see him again. Derek glanced into the room, and Ashley told him, “She’s with a nurse being fed.”

“Okay,” Derek says and then asks hesitantly, “Are your parents coming to get you?”

“Yes. Well, Mom is,” Ashley shrugs on her jacket, pulling it over her stomach then adds, “I should give you my number just in case.”

“I have it I think,” Derek started but Ashley barked out a laugh, “I changed it months ago, Derek.”

“Oh.”

She scribbled her number down on a piece of paper and handed it to him, “Only call me if it’s actually important, legal reasons or whatever.”

“Wait… why are you assuming I’m taking the baby?”

“You wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

Derek stared at her but he didn’t deny it. She was right. He was there to take the baby… his daughter… home with him.

Ashley brushed past him with her bag and says, “When I sign away my rights, she’s yours only. I don’t want any updates or photos.”

“What about child support?” Derek asked and that made Ashley laugh again, “You’re a millionaire, Derek.”

“My parents are,” Derek countered but Ashley raised her eyebrow, “Same thing.”

Derek didn’t push it. He didn’t need the money, that was true. Even if his parents disowned him, he had more than enough in his personal bank account to support the child for a long while.

“Wait,” Derek said before Ashley could leave, “What about her name? And the birth certificate.”

Ashley sighed but she had to shove aside her annoyance since she had sprung it on Derek with absolutely no warning. It had been payback at first, but now that the baby was there and _real,_ she had to own up to her parts of it just as much as he did.

“She doesn’t have a name,” Ashley said, “She’s just called Baby for now. You have one week to name her before she’s Baby forever, so I’d get on that. I’m sure the nurses can help you with all the other registration stuff - I wasn’t paying close attention.”

This time when she went to leave, Derek didn’t stop her. He had a hundred more questions but something was keeping him from asking them. So he stood outside the now vacant room and watched her leave until she turned the corner. Derek stayed in that spot for a while, not sure what he was waiting for but when a nurse came around carrying a little baby in her arms, Derek realizes this was it. This was why he was standing there.

His child.

The nurse didn’t seem surprised to see him standing there, and she offered Derek a smile, “You’re the dad?”

“Y-Yes?” Derek said, glancing at the baby to make sure this was the right one. But if he was being honest, she looked like any other baby he’d seen.

The nurse asked his name and checked his ID after setting the baby down in the crib again, verifying that he was who Ashley had identified as the father. She stayed in that room and explained things to Derek for over two hours, answering every question he asked even if they were silly or obvious. It was her job to make sure the baby was going to be going home to a responsible parent, and while she wasn’t 100% confident about Derek’s abilities, she knew the baby would be safe with him.

By the end of their long discussion, Derek had a whole lot of papers and pamphlets. Ranging from immunization schedules to contact numbers of help centers, and she’d strongly suggested a series of classes he should join to learn hands-on experience about raising her. He asked about the naming process (“You have seven more days to submit the birth certificate with her name to the clerk’s office”) if he legally _is_ the baby’s father (“Yes, you are.”), what she’s been eating for the past three days (“Donated milk, we’ll give you a good supply before you leave.”) and other such questions.

The nurse had him leave to buy a car seat, unable to send them home until the little girl passed a car-seat test, then observed Derek feeding and changing the baby. With all of that ticked off an hour later, she smiled and handed the car seat carrier to him, sleeping baby cozily inside and said, “You’re free to go now.”

All papers signed, armed with information and _an actual child,_ Derek Seigerson walked out of the hospital.

He was fucked.

* * *

“Uh… Derek, what is that?” Logan said immediately after he answered the door.

His best friend stood there, looking like he hadn’t slept or showered all week. And what was worse was the thing in his hand. Logan could recognize a baby car seat anywhere even if he had even less experience in that department than Derek.

“Please just let me in,” Derek whispered.

Logan stepped aside wordlessly, and Derek entered the house. Logan closed the door and followed Derek silently as the shorter boy headed to the living room where he put the baby down on the table.

“Derek?” Logan asked, “Where did you get that?”

“She’s mine,” Derek said, not facing Logan and running shaky hands through his hair, which already stood up in every direction.

“She’s not,” Logan shook his head, looking towards the very small baby then to the back of his friend, “This is a stupid joke even for you.”

Derek didn’t answer to that one, but Logan could see him shaking. Logan stepped forward without realizing, Derek’s distress overriding his confusion and he put a hand carefully on his shoulder.

“I fucked up,” Derek whispered, his voice breaking on the last word.

Logan grabbed him and spun him around, pulling Derek into a tight hug. The two of them never hugged, maybe once a year at most, but even Logan could see that Derek needed some grounding. Derek bit back a sob as he hugged Logan back, his entire body shaking with stress and panic.

Logan held him until Derek’s shakes slowed down, then guided him to sit on the sofa. He left the room without saying anything, coming back a few minutes later with a cup of hot coffee and handed it to him, “Drink then talk.”

Derek’s hands were almost shaking too much to hold the cup safely but he took a few sips. Logan walked over to the table and stared at the sleeping baby, seeing her chest rise and fall. So the baby was real. It was also brand new, even Logan knew that much.

“Where’s the mother?” Logan asked without turning to look back at Derek.

“She doesn’t want her. Left her with me.” Derek still sounded broken up but his voice didn’t crack quite as much as before.

“Who is it?”

“Ashley North,” Derek sighed.

“I don’t know her,” Logan said as if knowing the girl would make any of this easier. So instead he said, “You need to tell me why you have this baby, Derek.”

So he did. He told Logan about his relationship with Ashley the previous year, about the call he got a few days ago, about meeting Ash and the baby in the hospital, about Ash giving up her rights and Derek taking the baby in.

“...and I came right here.” Derek finished, putting the empty coffee cup down finally.

“Why here?” Logan said, having moved to sit down on a chair so he could see both the sleeping baby and Derek.

“I panicked, Lo,” Derek almost snapped but he was too tired, “I wasn’t going to go home and show my parents!”

“You have to at some point,” Logan pointed out, “You can’t hide a baby.”

“I can try,” Derek said but even he didn’t believe himself. He also didn’t _want_ to hide the baby. He was scared shitless but he wasn’t going to do anything to put his daughter at risk.

The baby took that moment to wake up and started grizzling, and both boys stared at her as she fussed. She was waving her covered hands around and her noises were starting to get louder, and Logan looked alarmed.

“Are you going to do something?” Logan asked, looking to Derek who looked pale again.

But he stood up and walked over to the baby, unstrapping her from the car seat and carefully lifted her up. He held her carefully as the nurse taught him too, gently bouncing her against his shoulder. She was so tiny and fragile, and Derek felt almost sick being the one who was now responsible for her.

“Sit down,” Logan suggested and Derek took that advice up right away, going back and sitting on the sofa again with the little girl still against his shoulder. She wasn’t flailing now, only making fussing noises.

“You really did fuck up,” Logan mumbled, not able to believe that Derek was a _dad_ even when the proof was right in front of his eyes.

“I know.”

“You’re so dead,” Logan added.

“Please stop. Help me figure out what to do.”


	2. Chapter 2

Logan’s help ended up being Julian. Logan didn’t exactly explain what was going on, but he did say “Derek’s in a lot of trouble and you need to come here right now. I don’t care what you’re doing, just get here as soon as you can.”

In the time they spent waiting for Julian to show up, Derek had settled the baby, fed and changed her and put her back in her seat for another sleep. The two boys had gone online and ordered a lot of baby things to be sent to Logan’s house, since Derek was still afraid to tell his parents, and had talked over and over again about what they were going to do.

Neither ever noticed they kept saying “we” and “they” instead of “Derek”.

When Julian did knock on the door three hours after he was called, Derek was drinking his fourth coffee so Logan answered the door and brought Julian inside. Julian looked as tired as Derek but they all knew not to point it out - Julian was still recovering.

“What’s going on?” Julian demanded, pulling his sunglasses off as he followed Logan, “What’d the idiot do now?”

“Keep your voice down,” Logan hissed as he led Julian into the living room.

Julian froze the moment he saw the baby.

Logan just let him process it without answering the unanswered question, going over to his laptop again and checking on some orders. Julian stared at the baby then at Derek who was calmer now but was still looking miserable.

“That’s a human child,” Julian pointed out unhelpfully, to which Logan said, “Yep, and it’s Derek’s. Now, do you see why we need your help?”

“Give it back,” Julian said, staring at Derek.

“I can’t,” Derek shot back at him, “Her mother abandoned her.”

“You can’t raise a kid! You’re an idiot!”

“Inside voice, Julian!” Logan glared, “We only just got her back to sleep.”

Julian walked over to the baby, who wasn’t strapped in, just laying with the blanket over her, and carefully lifted her out of the seat. Logan looked like he wanted to say something, and Derek made to stand up but Julian hushed them both and said with a quieter voice, “Babies aren’t supposed to sleep in their seats for long.”

Logan and Derek shared a confused look before Derek asks, “How do you know that?”

“Because I’m not an idiot,” Julian said, making his way to sit next to Derek where he held the little girl so gently in his arms that she didn’t even stir.

“Derek, you’re seventeen, you can’t raise a baby,” Julian told his friend.

“I have to,” Derek says but he didn’t sound confident at all.

“Do your parents know?”

Logan snorted at that but both of them ignored him. Derek answered carefully, “Not yet.”

“Where do you plan on keeping her until then?”

“Here?”

“She’s yours, not Logan’s. That’s not fair.”

“I’m staying here too,” Derek protested. Logan and Derek had agreed to that - it was safer to set up a temporary room for Derek and the baby since Johnny and Michelle were gone for the week. It’d give Derek enough time to work up the courage to tell his own parents.

“What’s her name?” Julian asked next, running a finger softly along the baby’s cheek as she slept. It was the most affectionate thing any of them had done so far.

“She doesn’t have one,” Derek sighs, “I have a week to name her.”

“You need to give her a name, it’ll help you bond,” Julian says, and Derek is surprised as just how quick Julian changed his mind about the entire thing. But that was just like Julian - he had always been quick to adapt and cope.

“That’s a hard decision,” Logan spoke up for Derek this time as he looked over at them, “She’ll have the name for the rest of her life.”

“Exactly,” Julian points out, “So she needs to have an identity. What are some names that come to mind right away, we can help you.”

Derek honestly hadn’t been thinking about names at all. She really was just “The Baby” in his mind, but Julian was right - she was a person and she deserved a name, especially since Derek was going to keep her.

“April?” Derek suggests as if he’s not sure.

“It’s the middle of July,” Julian points out, “That’d be confusing.”

“It’s a name!” Derek protests but sighs, “Maybe Dawn?”

“You just like words,” Logan snorts but Julian doesn’t protest this one.

“Maybe,” the actor says, “Anything else?”

Derek shrugs but thinks about it for a moment as he looks at the sleeping baby in Julian’s arms, “Maybe Molly?”

“Molly is cute,” Julian says with a small smile, “Anything else?”

“I don’t know,” Derek almost whines but suggests a few more, “Grace? Wendy? Ruby?”

“Are any of those girls you’ve dated?” Logan asks, not unkindly but he figures it’s safe to ask that.

“I dated a girl named Wendy, so I guess I can’t use that,” Derek says.

“What name do you like the most of those ones?” Julian asked, “Say them out loud with your last name.”

Derek said the names out loud while looking at his daughter, trying to feel which one sounded the best. He kept coming back to Molly and Ruby so he asked Julian and Logan to make the decision for him.

“I like Molly,” Julian says, “But the choice should be yours.”

“Molly is nice,” Logan agrees reluctantly, not having too much input during that discussion, feeling a bit uncomfortable about how quickly Julian was adjusting to the new obstacle in their lives.

“Molly Seigerson,” Derek says then freezes when Julian passes the baby over to him, looking at the actor for a moment as if to ask exactly what he thought he was doing.

“Hold her,” Julian rolled his eyes, “Talk to her.”

“I can’t do that!” Derek would have flailed his hands if there wasn’t a tiny child in them.

Julian just got up to join Logan at the computer, leaving Derek with his daughter. With Molly. He didn’t say anything to her, feeling too silly and scared to talk to a sleeping infant but he did stare at her as she slept. She was so small and while she looked like any other baby he’d ever seen, he did have to admit to himself that she was cute.

For the next hour, the three teen boys discussed all things baby, and Julian continued to be the most helpful. He’d at least had experience with children on sets, and while he wasn’t used to babies that small, he had enough confidence in his tone that Derek and Logan blindly trusted him. By the time the evening started to roll in, Julian and Derek were taking turns holding and caring for Molly, while Logan hadn’t held her once. He’d gone out a few times to grab some immediate essentials from the mall and then brought them all home some Chinese food.

“You should tell your parents soon,” Julian told Derek after the food had been eaten and they’d cleaned up. Molly was asleep in a bassinet in the corner of the spare room where they all were, sitting on the floor and talking quietly.

“They’re going to kill me,” Derek says seriously, “They’d rather me come out as gay than hear I have a kid.”

“We can be there with you,” Logan says, knowing what it’s like to have a parent explode on him, “And we can tell Michelle too, she can help.”

Derek didn’t want anyone else to know. He knew his life was already over, the fewer people to judge him the better. And there was a fear in the back of his mind that someone would take Molly away from him. He’d only known about her for three days, but he couldn’t handle the thought of her being taken away. She was his responsibility now.

“I need time,” Derek said shakily, staring at his hands, “Just let me stay here for a bit, I’ll figure something out.”

“Okay,” Logan sighed but didn’t push it. He wasn’t exactly keen on having Ernie screaming at Derek either.

Julian clapped Derek on the back then said, “I’ll stay with you tonight, but I have therapy tomorrow that I can’t miss. You and Logan will be on your own for a few hours.”

“Thanks, guys,” Derek said as he looked from Julian to Logan, “I can’t do this without you.”

“We know,” Julian smirked, “Because you’re an idiot.”

“You keep saying that,” Derek frowned and Logan laughed quietly, “Well he’s not wrong.”

Derek didn’t smile back but for the first time since Ashley phoned him, he felt like maybe things will be okay.


	3. Chapter 3

The following three days were spent setting up the spare room as things were delivered to the Wright home (mostly Logan), setting up a routine for Molly (mostly Julian), and panicking (mostly Derek).

All three took turns looking after Molly, with Logan taking the turns only for short amounts of time and only if she was already asleep. Julian still got tired often and was on medication, so Derek did the most even if he was exhausted, but they all made it work. Derek had finally agreed to let Michelle know, only if it was because she could keep a secret and he thought it was fair since he was keeping his child at her house.

He let Logan handle that phone call.

Logan had reported back that Michelle was shocked but very excited, and would be coming home shortly to help them. Logan told her not to tell Johnny yet, which she had reluctantly agreed to and would tell him she was going home early to catch up with some friends instead. Derek had been texting his parents but just to tell them he was staying with Logan for a few weeks to enjoy his summer break. They weren’t happy but didn’t demand him home, so at least he had a while to figure out how to tell them the truth.

Derek registered her birth, and she was officially named Molly Seigerson. Julian had wanted her to have a middle name but Derek had shaken his head and said not every baby needed one. Julian had called Cameron Pike more than a few times to ask him questions, since he had also been a teenager when he was left to raise Lacey. Cameron’s advice always seemed to boil down to, “Rely on real adults and take classes. You’re all too young to do it alone.”

Julian seemed to always come over with something new for her - new clothes, a book or toy, formula. It was like he was incapable of not doting on his best friends baby.

“Come to uncle Jules,” Julian crowed as he took Molly carefully from her crib and Logan rolled his eyes, “You’re uncle now?”

“Yep,” Julian smiled as he adjusted the baby and they walked quietly from the room, “And so are you. We’re D’s brothers, that makes her our niece.”

Logan didn’t argue to that, though he thought it was silly to call her their niece when there was no actual relation. But he did see Derek as a brother, so Julian wasn’t too far off.

Derek was napping, so Julian and Logan were taking care of Molly while they waited for Michelle to come home. The two taller teens took the baby downstairs and through to the living room which was covered in baby things. While Logan stood with crossed arms, Julian changed her diaper and cooed at her.

“You’re getting too attached to this baby,” Logan says.

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Julian says, still using the sickly sweet baby voice as he pulled faces at Molly, “Derek’s not giving her up.”

“She’s not yours,” Logan pointed out.

“Doesn’t matter,” Julian finished buttoning the outfit back up and lifted Molly back into his arms as he sat on the mat, “I’m here to help Derek, that’s why you called me right? If I wasn’t here, Derek would’ve had a meltdown.”

“I’m here,” Logan protested but Julian scoffed, “You haven’t even touched her.”

“I have so.”

“You haven’t,” Julian says seriously, looking up at him, “You avoid actually touching her. You may make her bottles and buy her things, but that’s all you’ve done.”

Logan scowled but Julian didn’t look mad. He rarely looks mad whenever Molly is near.

“Come sit down, Logan,” Julian says softly, “I’ll teach you.”

“No thanks,” Logan shook his head, “She’s sleeping.”

Julian raised an eyebrow and repeated, “Sit down.”

“Julian…”

“Logan.”

It was a power of wills, and Logan was losing. Not because he wanted to hold the baby, but because something had changed between him and Julian since the fire, and he couldn’t find it in himself to argue with him even if the idea of holding a small baby frightened him.

Logan sat down beside Julian on the floor but still said, “I don’t want to hurt her.”

“Since I don’t picture you throwing her, you’re not going to hurt her. Just hold your arms like mine and she’ll just lay there, it’s really easy. The sooner you learn to look after her, the easier it’ll be for Derek.”

That seemed to be the right thing to say because Logan soon copied how Julian was holding his arms, and Julian smiled at him before carefully passing Molly from his arms to Logan’s. Logan held his breath for a moment until Julian says, “Breathe, it’s fine, you’re doing well.”

“She’s so small,” Logan whispers, a bit surprised that she doesn’t weigh very much. She was wearing just a simple pale green onesie with a matching hat and gloves.

“Babies tend to be small,” Julian said but he wasn’t snarky, just observant. He was watching Logan carefully, knowing his friend was out of his comfort zone right now and it wasn’t always the best idea to push him too far, and especially not when he’s holding something so precious.

“Derek needs us,” Julian said after a moment of silence, “More than ever before. Even if, God forbid, his parents don’t blow their tops and lock him out, this little girl will be part of his life for a long time. We go back to school in a few weeks, and I don’t even know if Derek will be able to go back.”

“He has to,” Logan looked sharply at Julian, “He can’t drop out.”

“I’m not saying he will,” Julian says carefully, “But that’s a choice he’s going to have to make. Who is going to look after Molly while we’re back living there? I don’t think babies would be allowed to live on campus.”

Logan hadn’t thought about that, of when school returned. He wondered if Derek had given it any thought either. Logan didn’t like the idea of going through senior year without Derek there at his side.

“Maybe Dalton can work something out with Derek?” Logan said as if Julian would have all the answers, “Get him a good safe room where he can keep the baby with him, and baby-proof Stuart house?”

“We can always ask,” Julian agrees, “But I don’t know, Lo… Derek might have to choose between returning to school, or staying away to look after his child.”

It was quiet for a few minutes after that, both of them just staring at Molly while she slept, making tiny noises as she did so. Then Logan said, “Take her back, I need to take a walk.”

Julian nodded, taking Molly back and watching as Logan stood up and walked out of the house. He didn’t slam the door, thankfully, but Julian could see that he was upset.

“Derek’s made a big mess,” Julian tells Molly softly and sighs, “But don’t worry, we’ll make sure he doesn’t mess you up too badly.”

It was just Julian and Molly for an hour or so until the door opened and Michelle came in. She spotted Julian on the floor, softly singing to Molly as she drank a bottle of milk.

“Oh, she’s beautiful,” Michelle breathed and Julian glanced over with a smile, “Oh good, you’re back.”

Michelle couldn’t take her eyes off the baby, and Julian can see how much she was restraining herself from being loud or jumping around in excitement. So he told her quietly, “Logan stepped out, Derek’s asleep upstairs.”

“Can I hold her?” Michelle asks but Julian shook his head, “Wait until her bottle is done, then I’ll hand her to you. How was your flight?”

Michelle went to wave the question off, not wanting to talk about anything but the baby but her politeness won out and she answered, “It was smooth. Oh Julian, this baby…”

Julian laughed a little and knew they made the right choice in telling Michelle first. While she had no children of her own, she absolutely adored babies and she had more authority than any of they did so she’d be useful when it comes to telling any other adult.

While Julian continued to give Molly her drink, Michelle got down on her knees beside them and ran her finger over Molly’s soft little hand and asked, “She’s really Derek’s?”

“Yeah,” Julian sighed, “I think Derek’s scared out of his mind about the whole thing. He’s not even seventeen yet, and he has his entire life planned out. This has thrown a wrench into the gears.”

Michelle was nodding and looking thoughtful while Julian spoke. It wasn’t often that the two of them talked alone, but they got along well enough for Julian to know she can be trusted, and for Michelle to see how much he means to Logan. She sometimes sees Julian and Derek as her sons as well, in a more distant way.

“Derek and…”

“Molly.”

“Oh that’s beautiful,” Michelle said as tears sprang to her eyes for a moment before she giggled to herself then continued, “Derek and Molly can stay here as long as they need. You too of course!”

Julian just smiled at her, and with Molly having finished her bottle, he set it aside and pulled her up to his shoulder to gently bounce her.

“Thank you, Michelle. Logan has the spare room at the end of the third floor set up for them, but we’re wanting Derek to tell his parents soon.”

“I can help him with that,” Michelle says, “Maybe I’ll get Johnny to help as well. He knows Derek’s father.”

Julian’s expression changed to one of reluctance as he says, “Please don’t tell anyone until Derek says so. We don’t want word getting out yet.”

“I understand,” Michelle says solemnly, “I won’t tell Johnny.”

“Thank you,” Julian breathed a sigh of relief. He felt confident that Molly would be okay after her feed, so he said, “Do you want to hold her? I’m going to go wash the bottle out and see where Logan went off to.”

“Oh please,” Michelle’s eyes lit up and she sat up properly, pulling her legs out from under her to sit crossed legged in front of him, arms automatically going into the right position.

Julian laid Molly in her arms and stood up, taking a moment to stretch his sore knee before saying, “She normally has a little cry before she falls asleep, so just sway her carefully and she’ll settle.”

Michelle nodded but all her attention was on the little bundle in her arms. Julian laughed and took the nearly empty bottle to the kitchen, running it under some water before he called Logan.

It rang a few times before Logan answered, “Yeah?”

“Michelle’s home. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just needed some air.”

“I understand,” Julian says and he does, “But I’m going to be heading home in an hour or so, so I’d appreciate you coming back before Derek’s left with just Michelle and Molly on his own.”

“Okay,” Logan replies and adds nothing more. Julian almost says goodbye then but instead, he says, “We’ll figure things out, Logan. You know we do.”

Logan doesn’t reply at all this time, so Julian says, “See you soon, Lo.”

_Click._

Julian finished cleaning the bottle and put it on the drying stand they’d brought before heading upstairs to check on Derek. Derek was still sleeping, spread out over the bed and still looked exhausted. While Derek and Julian took turns at night with Molly, Julian couldn’t stay awake for very long after his night medication so it was mostly Derek handling it. And Molly was waking every couple of hours and would take a while to go back to sleep.

Julian decided to let Derek sleep some more - Michelle being there meant another pair of hands to help out, so they weren’t so desperate. He went to close the door quietly but Derek mumbled before he could, so Julian turned to face him, “D?”

“Julian…” Derek sounded sad, and Julian paused.

“I thought you were asleep, sorry if I woke you,” Julian said as he watched Derek open his eyes. Eyes with tears in them.

Julian turned to face him completely now, taking his hand off the door and asked, “D? Are you okay?”

Derek shook his head, wiping his eyes miserably and said, “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”

Julian sighed. Logan was better at handling Derek when he got emotional, but Logan wasn’t there right now, and Julian wasn’t about to walk out on him. In his mind, Julian had committed to this just as much as Derek did so he walked over to the bed and swatted at Derek’s arm until he made room for him to sit down.

“I don’t think anyone does, regardless of how old they are,” Julian replies finally, “But I think you did the right thing by stepping up and taking her in.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t an easy decision I’m sure, but I do think you picked the best option for her. Maybe not for you, but I guess what’s what parenting is about - sacrifice.”

Derek rubbed his eyes again and sat up and just now realized that Julian didn’t have Molly. “Where is she?” He asked, sounding almost close to alarmed.

Julian laughed a little and said, “Michelle’s here, she’s holding her, it’s okay.”

“Oh,” Derek calmed down and he sighed heavily, “Fuck, Julian. My life is over.”

“Nah,” Julian shrugs, “It’s just changed.”

Julian sat with Derek for a while until the younger boy had calmed down enough, then he patted him on the back and said, “Take a shower then come downstairs. I’m leaving soon, but Logan and Michelle will be here.”

“Where are you going?” Derek asked with a frown, “Are you coming back?”

“Not tonight, I want to go home and get a night of proper sleep and think about some things. I’ll be back tomorrow though, I’ll bring some breakfast. Michelle can help, and I had Logan hold Molly so maybe he’ll be brave enough to help out a bit too. You’ll be fine, Derek, you got this.”

Derek didn’t feel anywhere near as confident as Julian sounded, but he wasn’t going to whine and beg Julian to stay. Julian had his own troubles in life, Derek couldn’t drag him down further, it wouldn’t feel right. So he nodded and said, “Go and get some sleep, Jules. You’ve helped a lot, so thank you.”

“I got your back,” Julian shrugged but he meant it sincerely, “Now go take that shower.”


	4. Chapter 4

Logan arrived just as Julian was leaving, so he told him that he was heading home for the night but will be back the next morning. He also quickly filled him in on his conversation with Michelle, about her agreeing to not tell anyone until Derek said so.

Julian headed off and Logan went inside. Michelle was laying on the sofa with Molly asleep on her, and Michelle was watching her lovingly. She barely noticed that Logan had come into the room.

“Hey Michelle,” Logan greeted her.

“Hi sweetheart,” Michelle smiled and shifted her head just slightly to look over at him, “I have Derek’s baby.”

“I can see that. Is Derek around?”

“He’s in the kitchen,” Michelle answered with a smile. Logan could probably bet that she hadn’t stopped smiling since she got home.

Logan walked through to the kitchen where Derek was making himself a cup of coffee and looking much more rested than he had for a few days. Logan could also see that he was freshly showered and clearly wearing one of Logan’s shirts.

“Is that mine?” Logan raised an eyebrow.

Derek looked over and then shrugged, “Yeah sorry, I need to go get some of mine. Where’d you go?”

“Just for a walk,” Logan grabbed the coffee mug from Derek who scowled, “That was mine.”

“My house, my mug, my coffee.”

Derek just sighed and grabbed another mug.

“You need to think about what you’re doing,” Logan started after a couple of sips, “Because life’s about to get a lot more complicated for you. Julian and I were talking about school earlier - Dalton might not let you bring the baby in with you.”

Derek stared down at his new coffee cup and said nothing, but he was clearly thinking so Logan just added, “And if your parents blow up at you, where are you going to live? We’re happy to have you here but your kid shouldn’t be raised around my dad, that’s not fair.”

“I need to think about one thing at a time,” Derek replied finally, “School is a few weeks away yet, I have time to work on that. I know I need to tell my parents, but that freaks me out, man.”

“We’ll help you but you need to figure out what you’re going to say and when.”

“I’ve been thinking,” Derek admits with a sigh as he drinks his coffee, “It’ll probably soften the blow to have Molly there with me. Even dad wouldn’t scream in front of a baby.”

“You’re just planning to walk in with her and say, “Hi Mom, Dad, here’s my child. Can I stay here?””

Derek glared at him but then he nodded, which almost made Logan crack a smile, but instead, he said, “You’re an idiot.”

“I know!” Derek grumbled, “I don’t have any better ideas!”

“It’s a start,” Logan says, “But I have another idea…”

For the next ten minutes, until Molly started to cry loudly, the two best friends discussed how exactly they were going to tell Derek’s parents. Molly’s crying broke the conversation, and Derek was quick to take his daughter from Michelle and settle her. With the two teens and the young woman working together, they had a pretty good night. Derek bathed Molly, Logan fetched bottles, Michelle changed diapers. And while Logan didn’t help during the night time like Julian would, Michelle helped out happily and they all managed to have good nights sleeps.

The next morning, it was Logan that realized that Molly was one-week-old that day and when he told Derek, Derek smiled automatically before schooling his features again and said, “Oh, cool.”

“Remember to text your parents,” Logan reminded him. Their plan was to go around after Julian was back, and finally let Mr. and Mrs. Seigerson in on what was happening. Derek was terrified but he knew there was no getting around it, and he’d have the full support of his friends and Michelle there.

The next couple of hours were busy- they had all slept well, so they all had enough energy. Michelle and Logan worked on tidying up the house while Derek took Molly out for a walk, just up and down the long driveway as he didn’t want anyone to see him with a child yet just in case they got the gossip to his parents somehow. It felt nice to get outside though, the fresh air was calming.

He was just heading inside again when Julian’s car came up the driveway, so he paused to wait for him. Julian hopped out of the car, grabbed some bags then grinned at his friend, “Breakfast!”

Derek smiled, “That sounds incredible right now.”

“Swap?” Julian asked, motioning to Molly who Derek had taken from her stroller and was holding.

Derek rolled his eyes, “You only saw her last night, Jules. Just come in and you can hold her after we eat.”

They headed inside. Michelle greeted Julian with a long hug, asking how he was feeling and giving him a kiss on his cheek.

“I’m feeling fine, thanks Michelle,” Julian answered, handing Logan the bags of food, “I see you all kept the baby alive.”

Logan rolled his eyes but Michelle just beamed happily, “She was a delight!”

Which wasn’t quite true - she woke up quite a lot and cried most of the night, but they all knew that Molly could cry for 12 hours straight and Michelle would still say she was incredible. That’s just the kind of person Michelle Wright was.

While they ate, they discussed the plan so everyone was on board. Logan could see Derek was pale but he was still eating and he wasn’t shaking, so he wasn’t quite in panic territory yet. There really was a high chance that his parents were going to disown him for this. Out of all their parents, Derek’s would be the least understanding of their son coming home with a baby.

They also agreed that if things went south, that Derek and Molly would stay at the Wright home until school started up again. Julian had offered them to come stay with him in his apartment, but they felt it’d be better to have Julian’s place just for himself - he needed somewhere to go and relax without there being a baby around. If Derek’s parents did allow him to remain living with them, then the boys would bring all the baby gear back to the Seigerson home.

When breakfast was over, everyone had dressed and they had installed the baby seat back into Derek’s car with Molly inside, awake but quiet. Julian sat in the backseat with her, while Derek drove. Logan was going to drive Michelle, so they’d have two vehicles just in case they needed it.

“Hey Derek,” Julian said once they were on the motorway, “Whatever happens with your parents today, you’re doing the right thing.”

Derek didn’t reply, but Julian knows he had heard. They drove the rest of the way in silence.

Logan and Michelle had arrived moments before they did, so the two Wright’s were waiting outside the car. Even Logan looked a bit nervous now. Derek turned off the car but made no move to exit the vehicle, taking deep breaths. Julian watched him then reached over and patted his shoulder, “You have this.”

“I don’t,” Derek argued.

“We’re not going to abandon you,” Julian reminded him, “Trust us.”

Derek closed his eyes for a second then said, “Can you bring Molly out?”

“Sure,” Julian agreed, leaving Derek to sit in the car for a bit longer as he worked on unstrapping Molly, bringing her into his arms he got out of the car. He carried her over to Logan and Michelle, reporting to them that Derek just needed a few more minutes.

Michelle reached for Molly, and Julian handed her over. That was part of the plan, to have Michelle carrying Molly so the first assumption would be that the baby was unconnected to Derek. That way, they’d at least all be able to get their feet in the door before things possibly turned south. While Michelle fussed over the baby, Logan and Julian shared a look.

“How do you think it’ll go?” Julian asked.

“I think they’re gonna be livid,” Logan answered, not at all sounding like he enjoyed the thought. He’d seen both of Derek’s parents expressing their disappointment with their son throughout the years, and it always crushed Derek even if he played it cool. With Logan and Johnny, it was always a screaming match but with Derek’s parents, they could never hide how much they wished their son was better - and that always made Logan bitter and angry, let alone how Derek felt.

Derek joined them soon, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. This, maybe more so than Molly herself, was going to possibly change his life. Molly was going to be there regardless, he was determined about that, but his family could choose to kick him out and abandon him. They still had Amanda - they didn’t _need_ him.

“Ready?” Logan asked.

Derek shook his head, “No, of course I’m not ready. But I suppose I need to do it.”

“Just follow the plan,” Julian reminded him despite Derek having pointed out many flaws in their plan, but he nodded. It was too late to change it now.

Logan clapped him on the back, and the group headed up to the front door.


	5. Chapter 5

Derek didn’t have to knock - he lived there after all, but he still hesitated once more at the door. This time, nobody said anything to him and let him have the time to gather his courage. Soon though he opened the door and headed inside, the others following.

“Mom?” Derek called out. The house was large, his parents could be anywhere. He knew they were home though since their cars were parked outside.

“She’s out the back,” Ernie said as he came around the corner, “And d-”

He stopped when he saw that Derek wasn’t alone, his words falling short before he changed to say, “Welcome. We weren’t expecting guests.”

“Sorry,” Derek said quietly, “We’ve been at Logan’s.”

Ernie looked to Michelle holding Molly, “How’s Johnny?”

“He’s well,” She replied with a big smile, “Out of town right now so I’m looking after the boys.”

Ernie was looking at Molly curiously and seemed to debate with himself for a moment before asking, “That’s not yours is it?”

Michelle laughed almost nervously, and replied, “Oh no! I wish, but I’m just looking after her today.”

“Oh. Well, Brenda is out in the garden if you need to talk to her.” Ernie went to turn away, and for a moment Derek almost let him but he caught Julian’s look so he took a breath and said, “Dad? I need to talk to you too. Can you come with us?”

Ernie looked at his son in surprise which turned quickly to suspicion. “What’s going on, Derek?”

“I’ll tell you outside,” Derek said.

Derek didn’t let him argue or ask more questions, instead he continued towards the back of the house. He couldn’t tell what mood his father was in, but it didn’t seem to be too bad - however, having guests in the house always meant he was on his best behaviour.

Brenda Seigerson was refilling her birdhouses with seeds while Amanda did cartwheels on the lawn.

“Hey Panda,” Derek greeted his sister first, and she looked over with a grin on her face, “Bear!”

She ran over and leapt into his arms, so he span her around and planted a kiss on her head. She was quick to hug Logan and Julian too, and it helped ease the stress just a little bit. She was eyeing up Michelle with the baby, but didn’t ask any questions - she didn’t know Michelle well enough yet.

“Good to see you again, Derek,” Brenda greeted her son though she sounded disappointed that he’d been away for days without a real explanation. She stood with her arms crossed as if wanting an explanation, less worried about the guests than Ernie was.

“Sorry,” Derek said and he sounded like he meant it, “I’ve been staying with Logan.”

Brenda looked to Michelle who smiled, “He’s been a great guest, Mrs. Seigerson!”

“What do you need to talk about, Derek?” Ernie prompted, not one for small talk. Derek wished he was, he’d happily small talk for hours if it meant not getting to the reason they were there.

This was the part of the plan he was most scared of. Of launching straight into it. Even though he and Logan have practised what he should say, he still felt his throat close up and his heart begin beating wildly. He’d only felt so scared once before, and that was during Hell Night.

Logan could see that Derek was starting to panic, so he unexpectedly broke the plan and spoke up instead, “Mr. And Mrs. Seigerson, something’s happened this week that none of us was expecting, and we’d appreciate if you could hear us out before asking any questions.”

Julian then spoke up, having being caught by surprise by Logan but realizing Derek wouldn’t be able to do it alone, “Derek made a mistake a while ago that’s just caught up with him, but he’s doing the right thing now to make up for it.”

Brenda and Ernie were looking between each other, their son and the guests, looking both confused and alarmed. Amanda sat on the grass silently, staring up at her brother.

“Are you sick?” Brenda asks first, and Derek was quick to shake his head, “No! I’m fine.”  
  
”Tell us,” Ernie wanted to cut to the chase.

Logan and Derek shared a look, and Derek took a breath before he motioned towards Michelle and Molly, “Uh… the baby is mine.”

Silence. The only noises in the entire were was the water fountain, and Calvin chasing after Hobbes. Michelle bounced Molly just a little in her arms, hoping that Derek’s parents wouldn’t blow up and cause a scene.

Brenda was the first to react, her face stone as she walked past them into the house, saying nothing. Derek was feeling too light-headed to call after her. He couldn’t even look at Ernie.

But Ernie was looking at him, eyes like daggers as he stared at his son. With short clipped words, he said, “Amanda, go check on your mother. Derek, you need to leave.”

“Mr. Seigerson,” Julian started politely but was silenced when Ernie threw up a hand to stop him, “Not another word.”

“Dad…” Derek whispered.

“Get out of here right now before I do something I’ll regret,” Ernie told him.

Logan took Derek’s arm and started to pull him away, and Derek stumbled a little on his feet before catching himself and letting himself get pulled away with Julian following. Michelle, however, hesitated, looking at Ernie for a long moment before saying, “He’s doing the right thing, Ernest. He’s stepping up.”

“Leave,” Ernie repeated, not able to look at her or the baby.

Michelle nodded and left after the boys, Molly awake but quiet in her arms. She met back with the boys beside the cars, Derek sitting against the tire of his car and looking sick.

Michelle passed Molly over to Julian and knelt beside the teenage boy, putting a hand on his knee and said softly, “Derek, let’s take you back home with us. They need time to think.”

Derek didn’t reply, feeling like he’d throw up if he opened his mouth; his head was swimming. While he hadn’t expected his parents to be excited or even accepting, he didn’t think they’d react like that. Even screaming at him might have been preferable - but they looked like they couldn’t stand the sight of him.

Logan’s anger was starting to rise in his chest, wanting to storm back into the house and scream at Derek’s parents but he held back. He’d been learning through therapy that it wasn’t always helpful to give in to his emotions and to learn to ground himself before he caused damage. So he stood there with fisted hands, staring at Derek and wanting to get him out of there. Ernie wasn’t Johnny, but he had a feeling that the elder Seigerson wouldn’t be too pleased to see them loitering around after demanding they leave.

“Let’s go,” Logan said shortly, “The baby needs to be fed anyway.”

Logan had no idea if that was true, he really had no idea what schedule Molly was on but it seemed to work - Derek nodded once and allowed Michelle to help him stand up. He still felt ill, but it was a feeling he’s had many times in the past and knew he wouldn’t actually be sick, but it’d take hours for the feeling to fade. It was the feeling of fear and shame.

While Julian strapped Molly back into her car seat, Logan pulled Derek aside and said, “Sorry for talking first, you just looked like you were frozen.”

“I was,” Derek admitted, “Thank you.”

Logan shrugged but he gave Derek a quick hug anyway, “They’ll calm down and contact you, they always do.”

“Molly isn’t a bad grade or a failed match,” Derek responded bitterly.

“No, but she’s part of your life. If they care about you at all, they’ll accept that.”

Logan almost wishes he hadn’t said it, but it slipped out before he realized. If they didn’t calm down, and still kept Derek locked out, then Derek would think they didn’t care about him. But somehow, Logan’s words made Derek take a shaky breath and nod, “Yeah, that’s true. Can we go now? I want to get Molly settled and take a nap.”

“Sure,” Logan said, “Tell Julian to drive you back, I don’t want you driving.”

“I’m fine,” Derek replied automatically but sighed when Logan glared at him, “Okay fine.”

So Julian and Derek swapped places for the drive back, and Logan still drove Michelle back. Logan and Michelle openly discussed what had happened, while Derek and Julian spoke nothing to each other, both lost in thought.


End file.
